Some Tips For Covering Up Acne

Although there are many effective over-the-counter and prescription medications for treating acne, curing acne takes a bit of time and so, while the medication is doing its work, a lot of people are anxious to cover up their spots as much as they can.

Having said this, it can be argued that because this is a condition that affects roughly 85% of the population between the ages of about twelve and twenty-four you shouldn't worry about trying to cover it up at all since nearly all of us go through it. Nonetheless, you try telling that to a young person who is going out on that critical first date.

Women in particular tend to suffer more as, like it or not, they are judged more on their looks. But, they are also luckily enough to have a ready-made answer in the form of makeup.

Normal makeup can cause difficulties and, while it may well cover up your pimples, it can also aggravate the condition. The answer here therefore is to purchase makeup that is formulated for people with acne and this means makeup that is labeled as 'non-comedogenic'. This term is derived from the word 'comedone' which is the medical name for the whiteheads and blackheads produced by most mild forms of acne.

Your first line of defense should normally be a concealer which can be dabbed onto acne spots using a disposable sponge. You need to be careful though in using a concealer and use only as much as you need and no more.

Following a concealer you need to move on to a foundation which is excellent for blending the tones of your skin and which again has to be used sparingly but enough to give you an even overall cover. Foundation is not only excellent at covering your spots but, since it is not as reflective as your skin itself, it also softens out the shadows and lessens the contrast produced by the bumps that occur with acne.

Finally, a light covering of powder will also help to further even out color tones, reduce shadow and eliminate contrast.

So much for the women, but what about the men? There are two approaches which you can adopt here. First, you can follow the women and apply makeup and you will discover that there is makeup available these days which is specifically formulated to be used by men. If, however, you feel that this is not for you then the second approach is to purchase one of the range of over-the-counter treatments which contain acne covering compounds designed to help treat the condition and hide its appearance at the same time.

Of course it would be great if we had a proactive acne treatment that could cure acne fast but at present clearing acne tends to be a somewhat slow process and so, until we have some products and treatments that get rid of acne quickly, effectively concealing the problem is going to be important to many sufferes for a while yet.